Dirty Secret

by Elizabeth Lynx

  Rubbing my forehead, I had to focus on why I came here. "That's very kind of you, Heidi, but I think it's best—"

  Her fingers brushed my upper arm, and it turned into an electric bolt between my legs. My mouth stopped working and Heidi's invisible string began to pull me inside. Before I knew it, the door had closed behind me and like a zombie—who instead of craving brains, wanted to lick her sticky sweetness—I walked helplessly into her kitchen and sat.

  She puttered around the room and it warmed my heart to watch her wide, hopeful eyes as she placed a gooey, dripping cinnamon roll on a white plate before me.

  "Did you make these yourself?" My mind couldn't grasp that someone wouldn't use the pre-made kind from the store.

  "Of course." She held up her hand as if taking a pledge. "I cannot tell a lie, I'm a baked goods snob. If it isn't freshly made, then it isn't worth tasting."

  My smile crooked as my insides battled.

  "Baking was the one thing that brought my family together," she went on. "When I was growing up, my parents were rarely around. My brothers had sports and played video games, and I didn't have many friends. So, I hung out with our cook in the kitchen. She showed me how to bake brownies and cookies, and I once made a Baked Alaska."

  Heidi laughed at the memory. "And when I would share the desserts with my family, it was the only time they laughed together and hung out. Not out of obligation like a birthday or a holiday, but because they all wanted to be there. I actually went to pastry school a few years ago, but never finished."

  Now I felt worse. She was opening up to me. Talking about her passion, her family, and I am stealing from her. I was a monster. It was time I did what was right and stopped being swayed by her sweet treats.

  "There's something I need to say." I pushed the plate away and turned my head to face her. "I lied."

  Her brow crinkled in the most lovable way. "About what?"

  "The plumbing job . . ."

  Her eyes searched the room and landed on the sink. "So, I don't need to replace all the pipes?"

  "No, that still needs to happen. But I exaggerated the cost."

  She turned back to me. "By how much?"

  "Twenty . . . uh, twenty thousand dollars."

  Time stopped, and I held my breath. If ever anyone died by lightning bolt due to lying, now was the time it should strike me. The more I watched the shock and pain on her beautiful features grow, the more I wished that lightning strike would make an appearance.

  Why did I believe confessing my lie would make me feel better? If anything, I felt so much worse.

  "Wow. That's a lot of money. Was it a miscalculation?" She stepped toward me, leaning against her marble counter.

  Look at her giving me an out. This woman was too wonderful to be true. And I'm the asshole that thought it was a good idea to take her money. I was the worst sort of person.

  "No. It, uh, God . . . I am so sorry. It's just that my daughter needs . . .. You know what? Never mind." I shook my head. "That's not an excuse. I was going to overcharge you and that was wrong of me. I'll just pick up a few of the tools I left here and be on my way. I'm sorry you have to look for a new plumber."

  I wanted to run, but I forced myself to stand and calmly walk toward the kitchen entrance.

  "Max, where are you going?"

  Just before I reached the refrigerator, I came to a stop. "I'm grabbing my tools. I left a few in the basement. Don't worry, I'll be out of here in a minute."

  My eyes remained unwavering as they focused on the floor, but I heard her move close to me. Her hand, warm and electric, softly landed on my shoulder.

  "But you haven't finished your cinnamon roll."

  Wait . . .. What?

  My head whipped up to find her smile bright. She's acting like I accidentally stole her pen and didn't just admit to trying to swindle tens of thousands of dollars from her.

  "You want me to eat the roll?"

  Her teeth tugged on her bottom lip causing my mouth to salivate. I don't know what was more tempting—her sweet rolls or that succulent lip.

  "Of course." She slid her hand down my arm and it felt more like an electrified butterfly wing brush over my skin. Clasping my hand, she tugged me back toward the stool.

  "Now, tell me why you would overcharge me that much? Did my father speak to you?" She tilted her head as we both sat on the stools at her kitchen counter.

  "Your father? No, I don't believe I have ever spoken to your father. Does he live here?" I glanced around and wondered if an older man was about to walk in at any moment.

  I swallowed, hard, at the thought of explaining my deception to the man who raised her.

  She shook her head. "No, he doesn't. You would know if you spoke to him."

  Something stirred beneath the zipper of my jeans as she released a breathy laugh.

  "Why? Is he sweet and funny like you?" I immediately wanted to turn the clock back so those words never exited my mouth.

  It wasn't that I didn't mean them. But with overcharging her for the job, I didn't want to add inappropriate behavior to her list of things she could hate and, possibly, sue me for.

  It's obvious I made her uncomfortable by the flush of her cheeks.

  "No, he's not. He's more the opposite of that. Anyway, why did you overcharge me then?"

  A million reasons—all garbage—swirled around my head as I pondered an explanation that wouldn't damage my business.

  I didn't know why she did it, but Heidi took my hand again in hers, rubbing the back of it. I swallowed but that did nothing to alleviate the burning embers that pinched and prodded up my arm before they finally exploded throughout my body.

  "It's uh, it's my daughter. She needs—" I was about to confess everything to her. There was no use sugarcoating it, she deserved the truth. But a funny thing happened as I spoke. I caught her staring at my mouth. Watching each movement with anticipation and she leaned closer.

  I did the only thing I could do. Which just so happened to be the dumbest thing I could do, too.

  My lips fell to hers and I kissed Heidi. She was more delicious than anything she's baked. Her mouth tasted like cinnamon and lightness. My teeth tugged at her plump bottom lip until she opened for me.

  Her lips parted with a sigh. I was about to consume her. I cupped her face with my hands when a vibration on the counter snapped me back.

  We both gazed over to see her phone light up with the word Felipe.

  Shit. I forgot about her boyfriend.

  Chapter 7

  Heidi

  UGH, FELIPE. TOTAL vag-blocker.

  I glared at the phone hoping I suddenly developed telepathy to warn Felipe that I was going to kill him if he didn't hang up and not call me for the rest of the day. This was my first kiss in years. I knew how pathetic that was, but still, I didn't care. The man I lusted after for months was rubbing his very skilled lips over mine until I shivered in delight.

  The phone stopped for a moment and my shoulders relaxed. Relief. My telepathy skills were active and now I could get back to my dream coming true—all over Max's face.

  The vibration began again. I watched with sorrow, knowing that I needed to answer it. Max's luscious mouth had to wait. Never had I regretted something more than promising to babysit Felipe's nephew today. Not that I didn't like little Marco, but kissing Max was like the most decadent brownie, topped with the creamiest ice cream, sprinkled with the juiciest strawberries, and then smothered all over Max's lips.

  His kiss made all other previous kisses from ex-boyfriends seem sad, lacking, and not at all tasty.

  "Shouldn't you answer that?" Max's voice rumbled down my neck. How could one man cause so many goose bumps and my nipples to harden every time he spoke?

  "I should."

  Only, I didn't want to. Instead, I stood there. No, that's not true. I wasn't entirely standing either, more like leaning against Max. Gripping his gray T-shirt and feeling up his torso with my boobs because I knew once I let go, I'd fall. And falling was
tremendously lonely.

  Max lifted his hands to my cheeks, tilting my face up toward his so I was no longer talking to his chest.

  The way he looked at me, I wanted that, always. My heart craved it.

  "Should you?" His gaze danced over my face. His blue, magical eyes had the power to help me forget about everything else but him.

  "I don't want to . . . but I need to."

  The phone started up again, and I began to wonder if my voicemail wasn't working. The one time I need my voicemail to work, it stopped. Even my phone was vag-blocking me.

  "Okay," Max said, and that single word was the ax that ripped us apart.

  He stood back, and I forced myself to stand up straight despite the chill from the loss of him.

  I reluctantly picked up the phone, swiping it to answer. "Hello, Felipe."

  "Heidi. How's my favorite cookie maker?" I heard an edge in his usual pleasant voice.

  "I was about to put something in the oven." There was an edge to my voice, too.

  I glanced at Max out of the corner of my eye and found him trying to stifle a chuckle with his hand.

  "Great! Marco loves your cookies. Hey, I wanted to ask . . . Would it be too much trouble for you to take Marco to the zoo today? That's all this seven-year-old will discuss. According to him, and not facts, there are no zoos in Chicago. Despite the fact that his family took me to the Lincoln Park Zoo when I visited him last year."

  Based on Felipe's speech, I assumed Marco was near him.

  "Of course, I can. It's right down the street from me. I love the zoo."

  "Good. Because we are about five minutes from your place, and I already told him you would. Bye."

  Felipe quickly ended the call. I sometimes wondered if Felipe was as tricky as my father? At least Felipe used his charm for good instead of evil.

  "The zoo, huh? Is Felipe taking you out to the zoo?"

  After placing the phone down, I saw uncertainty in Max's eyes.

  Did he regret the kiss? Why should I fathom that a sexy as sin man like Max would hold any interest in me? He probably thought I was some lonely Washingtonian socialite getting her jollies from the help.

  "No, I'm taking his nephew. Felipe has a meeting today, and I promised I'd babysit. His sister, her husband, and their son are visiting from Chicago. Felipe promised to give them a break today to enjoy the sights but forgot he had set up an important lunch meeting."

  "Right. I guess I should be going."

  Max sighed and as he dropped his head and bit his lip, I wanted to ravish him all over again. Damn it. Why did I have to answer that phone call?

  Max started to turn but stopped. "Look, I am sorry for overcharging you. It was wrong of me, and you have my word, not that it means much considering, that I have never done that before."

  "Then why me?"

  He didn't come across as the type of man to take advantage of anyone, even someone he thought had money. Especially since my father wasn't involved, which was a surprise because he always had a hand in things. But still, I couldn't understand what made Max do that.

  "I, uh, I have a daughter," Max said, and the pieces began to fall into place.

  A lonely dad, unhappy marriage, thought he might have fun with the wealthy single lady around the corner.

  I held up my hand as my heart tumbled to the ground. "I get it . . . My place is nice right?"

  His brow creased. "What?"

  "You think I'm rich because I'm single and own my own home in a nice neighborhood in DC. You wanted a little money, maybe a little side action from your wife. I get it. But I'll have you know that I'm not that type of person, Max."

  "No, it's not that at all. Well, maybe a little, but—"

  "Save it," I said before I walked around him toward the front door. Screw his tools in my basement. At this point, I would just sell them on eBay because Max was an asshole, and he needed to leave.

  "Heidi, please. Let me explain."

  Max came up behind me before I reached the door, placing his hand on my arm. Damn, my body was tingling at his touch. I wanted to hate him, shy away from his fingers, but I craved it. We barely kissed, and I was already going through withdrawal.

  "What, Max? I'll have you know that I don't have that kind of money. I barely had enough money to buy this house. My grandfather left me something in his will, which was the only way I could finally afford to get my own place. It helped me get away from my controlling family." I held up my hands. "Never mind. You don't deserve to know any more about me."

  Ugh, his thumb was rubbing circles on my shoulder, weakening the defenses I hastily built up over the last few minutes. He was so strong and powerful, and the muscles in his arms were flexing and . . . I needed to focus on being angry.

  Wait, why did I hate him? Oh, right, he's married.

  "I'm not married, Heidi. I was. I have a daughter with my ex-wife, but we divorced two years ago. Besides, you shouldn't be talking about cheating since your boyfriend, Felipe, will be here any minute." Max folded his powerful and pantie dissolving arms causing my eyes to linger.

  "Felipe isn't my boyfriend. I mean, he's male and my friend, but I'm not his type."

  Max snorted, and even that was sexy. "Right. A gorgeous woman who is considerate, adorable, and bakes addictive cookies isn't his type. If you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic."

  I could tell and smiled at his delightfulness.

  "You left out penis," I added.

  His head shot back, eyes wide with surprise. "What?"

  Max glanced between my legs and I laughed.

  "I don't have a penis, but to be Felipe's type, I would need one."

  It took a few seconds before my words sunk in, and then Max's eyes enlarged with understanding.

  "Ah, well . . . I feel like an ass."

  We both chuckled as we realized that the both of us were jumping to wild conclusions. Then it hit me. "But you kissed me thinking I had a boyfriend? And you still haven't answered about overcharging me."

  His lips thinned before he nodded. "Yeah, I forgot about Felipe until he called you. I'm sorry. It was the wonderful smell from your kitchen, and I've fantasized for months about kissing those lips. It all got to me."

  My cheeks warmed. "Oh, okay."

  "As for overcharging you, that was a desperate move. I'm ashamed of what I did. I wanted to keep you away from me. I got a call that day your pipe burst about my daughter. She requires a lot of help, and the way insurance is nowadays, I'm trying to find cash where I can. Not that I ever lied to a client before about the cost." Max waved his hands in the air.

  "Until me."

  Max frowned. It's not a look I enjoyed seeing on him. Not that he still wasn't sexy, but my heart hurt a little to watch the pain etched on his features.

  "Yeah, until you. You have to understand I thought you would ask around. Get a second opinion and realize how badly I was overcharging you. So you would stay away."

  "If you needed the money, why didn't you want me to hire you?"

  He started to open his mouth to answer, but his words from before hit me.

  "You said you fantasized about kissing me for months. You haven't known me that long."

  I was confused and so very turned on. Max began to rub the back of his neck. The way his muscles bulged in that fitted T-shirt gave me the strong desire to cancel our discussion and move back to making out.

  "I've seen you around the neighborhood." With a pause, his eyes travel to my lips. "You're hard to miss, Heidi."

  That's it. We're going to kiss right now. I stepped forward, lifting my mouth to his. Max, sensing my lustful desires like a Bloodhound with sexy arms, stepped forward and took charge. Slipping his fingers through my hair, he cradled my head and guided me toward his lips.

  But before I got the slightest taste of Max's sinful mouth, there was a knock at the door, quickly followed by Felipe yelling for me to open up.

  The vag-blocker has arrived.

  Our eyes widened with just inches between us. As
if we could read each other's mind, both Max and I erupted in laughter. My laughter subsided within moments because it was obvious there would be no kissing, and I walked around Max to open the door.

  With the most prominent and fakest smile I could muster, I said to the two males on the opposite side of the door, "Perfect timing." Felipe's eyes were bloodshot, and his usual seamless style appeared shabby.

  A slightly chubbier, smaller version of Felipe ran to me, throwing his arms around my waist. "Heidi. I'm so happy to see you."

  Warmth erupted from my heart. "It's great to see you too, Marco." I playfully rubbed his head.

  He looked up with a broad smile, but something was missing. "Did the Tooth Fairy visit you?"

  Marco nodded and pointed to the space where his top front tooth should be. "I got a gold coin for this one."

  "A gold coin?" I glanced up at Felipe who was rolling his eyes.

  "A Sacagawea coin," Felipe leaned over cupping his mouth to my ear, "not gold."

  "Ah, well, that's pretty special," I said, but Marco had already run into the house.

  "Who are you?" Marco said behind me.

  I turned to find Marco and Max having a staring contest.

  "I'm Max. I'm a neighbor of Heidi's." Max extended his hand toward Marco.

  Marco pulled his arm back and swung it forward to give the biggest slap on Max's hand. Max winced, and I assumed it stung as he began to rub his palm.

  Felipe moved to Marco and crouched down to his level. "Marco! You shake a person's hand, not slap it." Marco lifted his nose in the air. "But I always give high fives. It's my signature."

  "That was quite a high five. My daughter and I have a secret handshake. Maybe I can show it to you sometime," Max said as Marco's eyes widened.

  Felipe's right eyebrow raised as he turned a devilish grin toward me before mouthing the word, "daughter?"

  I waved him off.

  "We're going to the zoo. I want to see the pandas," Marco said to Max.

  "I am taking my daughter, Kat, to the zoo today, too. Maybe we could all go together?" Max turned to me with a little hope and a lot of uncertainty in his eyes.